God answered our prayers and worked out all the details in order to allow my team to be here on this incredible adventure in the Amazon Jungle. We are working alongside a long term organization in Iquitos, Peru who is in relationship with villages along the Amazon River. The heart behind expeditions into the jungle are to encourage and build up believers in the community and share the love of Jesus.
A Taste of our Journey to the Jungle
Upon arrival we met the staff and were given a brief background and orientation. The following day we left for our journey on the Amazon. We took a 2-3 hour van ride to a port town, boarded a public boat, and set up hammocks for the night. That’s right, we got to spend the night in hammocks on a boat! The following morning we left the port, and 12 hours later transferred to a much smaller wooden boat packed with locals for the final 2.5 hour leg of the journey before arriving to the village of San Jose. I sat with my knees near my face, and my bottom balancing on a 1-inch wide wooden plank. Baggage was in front of me and an elderly woman with a young child on her lap was beside me. For the most part it was dark so that that the captain could communicate with the lookout man at the front of the boat and see his spotlight, but every once in a while, a light would scan a portion of the boat, allowing me to see babies and adults alike sleeping all across the base of the boat overlapping one another. When I turned my head I saw small houses glowing and outlines of the jungle tree line. It misted just enough for me to appreciate the coolness and to get me to look up and take in the beautiful stars. I was in awe of the sense of order in the chaos along with the peace and contentment in the midst of discomfort.
I’m a stereotypical [North] American when it comes to personal space, I like a lot of it, especially when it’s been a long, hot sticky day and everyone is well overdue for a shower. It also wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to be fearful when calculating weight and boat quality, and pondering the consequence if the boat fails. However, God was kind and gave me peace in the moment along with a sense of awe in the ability to trust Him through all of this traveling.
Some things we’ve found ourselves saying
- Alligator for lunch, yes please!
- Five less tarantulas exist in the Amazon Jungle because of us.
- Bug nets don’t keep frogs out if they aren’t sealed up properly.
- Don’t pee while swimming in the Amazon river unless you want a parasite to swim up your stream.
- Wow, Margaret caught a big sting ray.
- Yesterday there were turtles, today there is soup.
- Who knew there were PINK and grey dolphins in the Amazon River?!
- Boat cargo is quite different than your typical air baggage regulations, and may include: puppies, chickens, roosters, live fish, baskets of typical food rolled in banana leaves, baskets of fish piled on fish, plantains and bananas by the stalk, ducks, parrots, and hammocks on hammocks.
A glimpse of our Time
We danced and played games with kids in the community. Young girls walked with us hand in hand to gather water. We visited the school and were active in nightly church services. We shared testimonies, sang, and taught stories from the bible. While walking though the village we stopped often to visit and were invited into homes.
A Few Stories from San Jose
A story from Nicole Murray: This week, while enjoying a walk in the rain that the Lord blessed us with, we were welcomed into the home of sweet Norma. Norma is a follower of God who, before coming to relationship with Christ, was unable to speak. Her petite stature was full of so much joy as she shared with us the miracle that the Lord performed within her. She prayed to the Lord that He give her His language, that He allow her to speak and to be able to communicate with others. The Lord answered these prayers for her and she now speaks! She uses the gift of language that the Lord blessed her with to share her story and the love of God with others in her community. She prayed over us and encouraged us to touch as many hearts as we can with God’s love and truth.”
School Visit
One morning at school we performed a skit about Jesus walking on water from Matthew 14 and taught about how Jesus tells us to take courage and trust him. This was something that I had done on my race and I thought it a great idea to do again. It was a step out for me as I’m not super comfortable with my Spanish speaking ability, and I chose to take the lead by narrating the skit. The Lord used my effort and turned the skit into something that many people could understand and relate. Just as Jesus was with the disciples, He is also with us today wanting us to take courage and trust in Him.
In the Community
On our way back from the school, I stopped to visit with a young mother whom I met in church the evening before. Within a short amount of time there were many kids surrounding us. We talked about how we are brothers and sisters in Christ and are very thankful to be able to meet and get to know one another. Taylor prayed and then talked about how prayer is talking to God. You can tell him thank you, wonder with him, ask him questions or make requests. In prayer, we shared things that we are thankful for and the young woman also shared, most of the children were quiet but attentive. It was cool to see how a simple conversation with a friend turned into a teaching moment for so many children.
Lord, may we all talk with you often: alone or in public, aloud or in silence. May we know your voice and believe that You are who You say You are, and they are who You say they are–Your beloved children.
Fun Fact!
Iquitos is the LARGEST city in the world NOT accessible by road. We flew from Lima to Iquitos and will take a 3-day boat to Leticia, Colombia and then fly to Medellin, Colombia to meet the rest of the squad for all squad month.
More to come!
Thank you for reading and following my journey!
I would love prayer for greater intimacy with the Lord, team and squad unity, AND protection from head lice, bed bugs, and malaria 🙂 Thank you!!
Much love, Catherine
P.S. Photos to come!
